I recently saw an old woman pushing a cart which had lots of waste paper on it. She was trying to pass people and was saying, 'excuse me, let me have some space, please' in a weak voice. But the people did not hear her. They just kept talking and joking. They were smiling, but the old lady was sad.

Hong Kong Sevens bosses have teamed up with a leading youth charity to tackle teenage binge drinking at the event.

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) and the KELY Support Group will highlight the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption at the tournament, which takes place from March 23-25 at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Memories are the dramas of our minds, the bits of our past that are unforgettable because of particular action, suspense or sadness. The day a bar owner in Australia chased me from the pool room of his pub for underage drinking is one of those occasions. I had been going there after school on Fridays with older friends just for the game, not the alcohol.

Drunk drivers could face harsher punishments, including loss of their driving licence for at least five years, according to a draft amendment to the Road Traffic Safety Law being discussed by the national legislature.

Members of the public and many lawyers have long complained that punishment of drunk drivers on the mainland is too light.

Counter staff in 7-Eleven stores have been told by their bosses not to open bottles of alcohol for customers because they do not have a liquor licence - instead they are insisting customers open bottles themselves.

When the Hong Kong government reduced its tax on liquor containing less than 30 per cent alcohol in 2008, many of those who had lobbied for its removal hoped that the financial secretary would later follow suit with the tax on spirits - drinks typically containing 40 per cent alcohol or more.